“Fuck.” He dropped his hand, lowered my shirt, and nodded.
I cupped his face and grimaced. “Sorry.”
“I get it, babe. It’s just gonna take me a minute.”
Austin got himself together and then lifted me off the counter. I couldn’t seem to stop yawning, but didn’t want the night to end, so covered it as best I could.
“I should go,” he said. “You’re exhausted.”
“I was hoping I could hide that better.”
He stroked my cheek. “I’ll take you to dinner tomorrow night.”
I grinned. “Okay.”
“Plan on Saturday nights to be our thing, yeah?”
“That all sounds amazing, but next week’s out.”
“Why?”
“Girls’ night with Kim.”
Austin frowned. “Blow her off.”
“Um, no way. I only get one Saturday every other month when she blows off working at her very lucrative bartending gig to spend more than an hour here and there with me.”
He shook his head. “Babe, I can’t see you over the next few Sundays. I might be able to break away for a bit on Wednesday, but if I can’t, I’m not waitin’ an entire week to see you.”
I grimaced.
“What?”
“I can’t do Sundays either.”
“Why the hell not?”
“It’s dinner at my parents’ place.” I bit my lip. “It’s a standing date for all of us every week.”
“Shit!” He dragged his hands over his face. “Work with me here, Dani.”
I chuckled. “Austin.”
He cocked his head. “You think this is funny?”
I bit my lip and shook my head, but couldn’t hold back a snort at his expression of incredulity. “Okay, it’s a little bit funny.”
He smiled slowly and I realized I’d possibly pushed him a little further than I was prepared for. I backed out of the kitchen, him stalking me. I turned and made a run for my bedroom, attempting to close the door before he reached me, but failing miserably.
He bent at the waist and gently shoved his shoulder into my middle, tackling me onto the bed, and tickling me until I was sure I would pee. “Stop,” I squealed.
“You gonna make it up to me?” he asked.
“How exactly am I supposed to do that?”
He kissed my neck. “I can think of a few ways,” he whispered.
I had no idea what the hell was wrong with me, but this struck me as funny and I chortled, trying to squirm away from him as he gripped my hips and held me to the bed.
“That’s funny to you?” he asked.
I pressed my lips into a thin line and shook my head, but it was useless, I couldn’t stop giggling. Chalk it up to my lack of sleep, but I totally lost it. What I wasn’t entirely expecting was him to laugh as well. He didn’t stop tickling me, but he did laugh while he was doing it.
“Stop, stop,” I said, breathless. “I’m going to pee.”
He kept going.
“Stop, honey. Please.”
He did. Immediately. “What did you say?”
“Stop, I’m going to pee?”
Austin shook his head. “No after that.”
“Please?”
He squeezed my sides again and I squeaked in surprise, giggling again. I bit my lip and reached up to stroke his cheek. “Honey,” I whispered.
“Fuck,” he rasped, leaning down to kiss me. “I love that.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, baby. I do.” He rolled onto his back and groaned. “I need to go. If I don’t, I won’t.”
I slid off the bed. “I’m free on Monday.”
“Can’t do Monday, baby.”
“Okay. Well, I’m sure we’ll find another night that works.”
He nodded. “I’m gonna go now.”
“Okay.”
He rose to his feet and kissed me again before heading back out to the living room and grabbing his leather jacket. I felt somewhat dejected that he was leaving, but I knew that if he stayed, we’d go further than I was ready to, and lucky for me, he seemed to understand that. I don’t know what it was about him, but I was falling fast, and that was new to me. I couldn’t quite decide if I liked the feeling or not, but when he smiled his sexy smile and leaned down to kiss me again, I decided I didn’t really care. He was delicious.
“Talk to you tomorrow,” he said.
I nodded and pulled open the door again, but when he made to walk out, I grabbed his hand. “One more kiss?”
He grinned and left me with a kiss that made me want more as I closed the door and leaned against it. There was no way in hell I was going to manage sleeping when all I wanted was him to keep me occupied for the night. I forced myself not to call him back inside and headed to bed, my overwhelming exhaustion replaced with a kind of desire that no one but Austin “Booker” Carver would be able to satisfy.
I was in big, big trouble.
Danielle
SATURDAY NIGHT, AUSTIN arrived just before six and settled himself on my sofa. Although my makeup was applied, my hair was still in a towel, I was in a robe, and I had no idea what I was going to wear. We’d talked for less than five minutes during the day and he hadn’t given me any details of the date.
“You haven’t told me what we’re doing.”
“Get together at the club,” he said.
“I thought we were going to dinner.”
He smiled up at me from his position on the couch. “We are. Club’s grillin’.”
“So, we’re not actually going out?” I frowned. “Like on a real date?”
“It’s a real date, baby. And we’re leaving your apartment, so it’s ‘out.’”
“What am I supposed to wear?” I asked.
Austin gave me a lascivious grin. “Jeans, tighter the better, low-cut top… somethin’ like that.”
“I don’t own anything biker slut, Austin.”
He shrugged and studied me. “Babe, it’s family. Wear whatever the fuck you wanna wear.”
“Well, that’s so freaking helpful, honey. Thanks.”
I stomped back to my room and into my closet. In the last thirty seconds or so, Austin had informed me that I’d be meeting his “family.” He’d also not denied my need to wear something slutty. I didn’t own anything slutty. I could maybe wear something a little low-cut, or wear one of the two little black dresses I owned, but he was in his “uniform” of jeans, tee, and cut, so I’d be way overdressed if I did.
I should probably bow out. If it was at the club, then it was probably going to be filled with criminals, and that would look really bad for my family. I sat on the floor of my closet and dropped my face in my hands. God, I was such an idiot. Why the hell did I even entertain the thought that this could work out?
“Dani,” Austin said with a sigh.
I glanced up at him standing in the doorway. “What?”
“You’re way overthinking this.”
“I can’t go with you tonight, Austin. I think it would be best for you to go alone.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.